Saturday, December 28, 2013

Early Review: Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy

Born In Blood
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Zebra
The Sentinels Book #1
ISBN:  1420125141
ISBN13: 9781420125146
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source:
In a stunning new paranormal romance series—even edgier than her bestselling Guardians of Eternity books—New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy lures readers into the dark, seductive world of the Sentinels—humans outcast by their hidden abilities, treading the line between life and death, good and evil, pleasure and pain…

Born In Blood

Sergeant Duncan O’Conner has seen it all before. A beautiful erotic dancer is found murdered in her home—no suspect, no motive. But there’s one clue: she’s missing her heart. It’s enough to make the hard-bitten Kansas City cop enlist the help of a necro—one of the dead-channeling freaks who live in the domed city of nearby Valhalla. It’s a long shot, but desperate crimes call for desperate measures.

Unlike the other “high-bloods” in Valhalla, Callie Brown considers her abilities a gift, not a curse. But when she reads the dancer’s final thoughts, she senses a powerful presence blocking her vision. This is no ordinary homicide. This is the work of a legendary necromancer who controls souls. A ravenous force that will put Callie’s skills to the test, O’Conner’s career at risk, and both their hearts on the line…literally.

I can't put my finger on why but I had a hard time getting through BORN IN BLOOD. I am sure typing out my review will make it clear to me. It was one of those books that you want to finish reading but you find yourself skipping over a few parts to get through it faster to find out what happens in the end.

I found Duncan to be a little too pushy at times but he was suitably protective when needed and tolerant of those in Callie's life (except Fane of course). Callie comes off really fragile and quite but hides a strong woman underneath. The two work well together and make a believable couple. The secondary cast of characters seemed to be the ones who kept me reading though. The world building could have used more explanation and it felt like we were always being cut short on information that we needed to finish a scene. The villain of the story just annoyed the heck out of me. I skipped most of his dialog. 

By the end I didn't really feel like I was emotionally invested in the main characters. The events of the story did however bring out emotion in me so I am giving the story a little more star power because of that. I don't think I will go out of my way to pick up book 2 but I will look into who the main characters of the story will be in case that changes my mind.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.